Center Intern Update: Natasha Delille

Natasha interned at Freedom Firm, a non-profit organization that works to combat sex trafficking in India by rescuing minor girls who have been sold into the commercial sex trade, restoring their identities, and seeking justice against those who perpetrate these crimes.

At 6:45 a.m. on Friday morning, Freedom Firm’s Pune^[1]team made a multiple-hour journey to a nearby city. The day before, Freedom Firm investigators called alerting the Pune team that they spotted potentially minor girls at a brothel in Topsham*. We were worried because we were told that the Superintendent of Police (“S.P.”) of Romansleigh*—the main district of the region where the target was located— was completely corrupt, and we needed his permission and cooperation to be able to conduct a successful raid. I wrestled in prayer as we drove to Topsham, the town where the raid would take place.

Upon arrival in Topsham, we drove to the local police station to meet the Freedom Firm investigators. In order to drive through the red light area without raising suspicion, Evan Henck—Regent Law alum and Regional Director of Freedom Firm—got out of the car; and I wrapped my head with a scarf so that I could blend in. Two of the investigators got into the car so that they could point out the target brothel. We drove through the red light district, which was a tiny slum located right next to a residential area filled with beautiful homes. All of the team members familiarized themselves with the location, and then we headed back to the local police station to pick up Evan.

The next stop was the Romansleigh Police Station. Freedom Firm chose to not involve the local police because the local police were likely to have a connection with the brothel keepers and would have warned them. We arrived at the Romansleigh Police Station and waited for three hours to be seen by the S.P. As the time went on, our patience wore thin and our hope slowly slipped away, but our prayers increased. We were called into the S.P.’s office and the Freedom Firm team explained why we were there. The S.P. picked up the phone and directed the Inspector of Police (“P.I.”) to help us with whatever we needed. The S.P. did not ask for proof of who we were or for evidence that there were minor girls working at the brothel; he simply took our word for it. We headed over to the Crime Branch and discussed a plan with the P.I., who then assigned a plain-clothed team to accompany Freedom Firm on the raid. We divided into two vehicles: one marked and one unmarked. Evan and I rode along with some of the police officers in their marked police vehicle. The unmarked vehicle drove ahead of us. As we turned into the Topsham red light area we noticed that the unmarked vehicle was headed toward us and that the Freedom Firm team and police officers had already disembarked. Those of us in the marked police vehicle jumped out and ran towards the brothel. The team managed to capture the two brothel keepers and six of the sex workers. Unfortunately, one of the three suspected minors managed to escape, and because of the rain and mud it was difficult to catch her. During the raid a pregnant female officer slipped and fell. We rushed her to the emergency room. I sat on the edge of my seat praying that her baby was okay. About an hour later we were told that the officer had fractured her arm and the baby was perfectly fine. Upon hearing the good news, we headed to the local police station to meet up with the rest of the Freedom Firm team.

Over the next few hours the girls were processed and charges were filed against the brothel keepers. I was able to sit in on the interview of the minor girls conducted by Shital, the Freedom Firm social worker. During the interviews the two girls revealed very little. However, we did come to learn that one girl had only completed the third grade in school, whereas the other had never even gone to school.

Restoration: Life in Government Homes

Yesterday, I accompanied Shital to a nearby government home where she visits rescued women and girls. Each level of the government home is sealed off by a lock to prevent the residents from running away and outsiders from entering and kidnapping the residents. The residents at this home come from all over India and some have babies or very young children. Freedom Firm sends a social worker for a few hours each day to teach literacy and hobby classes to the residents. While at the home, Shital and I worked teaching the residents how to pronounce the letters of the English alphabet.

On Wednesday, Evan, Shital, and I took a trip back to Topsham. The purpose of the trip was to confirm that the rescued girls were placed in a government home and to find out the trial date for the brothel keepers. We were only able to see the girls for a few minutes. Though the time spent with the girls was short, the purpose of the visit was to reassure the girls that they were not alone. I will never forget the smile and the gleam of hope that I saw in one of the girl’s eyes when she saw us.

Please keep the rescued girls and Freedom Firm in your prayers.

*The names of the cities have been changed

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[1] Pune is the City where the Freedom Firm office at which Natasha interned is located. 

Twenty Days of Interns: Natasha Delille

This summer, 20 Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law interns are spread across four states and ten countries, going not only with the Gospel, but also with legal training and a passion to see the Lord’s justice carried out on a fallen earth.

Natasha started off her summer interning with ADF International, a Christian law firm based in Vienna, Austria that works to develop legal strategies that protect religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage and family around the world. Natasha was primarily responsible for researching topics such as the rights of the unborn child and drafting letters to the European Court of Human Rights.

Natasha later interned at Freedom Firm, a non-profit organization that works to combat sex trafficking in India by rescuing minor girls who have been sold into the commercial sex trade, restoring their identities, and seeking justice against those who perpetrate these crimes. Natasha is interning at Freedom Firm's office in Pune where Regent Law alum, Evan Henck, is the Regional Director. Natasha has travelled to different cities in India to hear Freedom Firm's cases argued in the High Courts, conducted legal research, and she has drafted a letter to the Commissioner of Police.

Whether fighting sex trafficking in India and Indonesia, advocating against partial-birth abortion in Europe, advancing the rule of law in Uganda, or securing religious freedom in Bulgaria and South Africa, our interns are making a difference.

See where all of our interns are working here >

Donate to our Internship Grant Program >

Center Intern Update: Natasha Delille

Natasha interned at Freedom Firm, a non-profit organization that works to combat sex trafficking in India by rescuing minor girls who have been sold into the commercial sex trade, restoring their identities, and seeking justice against those who perpetrate these crimes.

More than 500,000 children in India are exploited every year in the sex trade.

Laws to combat sex trafficking in India

In 1956, India enacted the India Traffic Prevention Act (ITP Act) to prosecute sex traffickers, pimps, and brothel keepers. After reading the ITP Act, I was hopeful because this law meant that India is standing up for victims and taking action against the perpetrators of these crimes.

Application of the law

After reading a writ lodged by Freedom Firm against the local Commissioner of Police, I realized that although the ITP Act had been enacted, very few perpetrators have seen the inside of a prison cell. There are over 55 cases in which the accused were given a 20,000 rupee (about $315) and later absconded; keep in mind that these pimps and brothel keepers make exponentially more than this. I was told that judges, prosecutors, and police officers are often paid off and these trafficking/forced prostitution cases are purposely delayed.

My heart was broken because I could not understand how so many people could remain apathetic towards the young children and deaf and mute women who are being forced into prostitution. There are laws in place to protect the victims but the law repeatedly fails to be enforced because many officials believe that sex trafficking is a societal problem and not a legal problem.

During my second week in India I took a 5 hour trip to a nearby city to observe one of Freedom Firm’s cases that had finally made it to trial. We waited outside of the court room for two hours waiting for the case to be called. We were off to a good start because the accused rarely show up to court and the accused in this case­—the victim’s mother (a common occurrence in these cases)—appeared in court. The case was called and to our dismay, the key witness—the investigating police officer—did not show up to testify. We later found out that the accused had paid him to not appear. Despite this major setback, all hope was not lost, the judge issued an arrest warrant for the officer (which is practically unheard of) and rescheduled the trial.

What does Freedom Firm do?

Freedom Firm is made up of three components: rescue, restoration, and justice.  Freedom Firm has an all-male investigative staff that goes out into the red light districts in search of minor girls. Once they have a target, they communicate this to the local authorities who will then work with Freedom Firm to organize a raid. Once the girl(s) has been successfully rescued, she undergoes a medical examination to determine whether she is a minor. In order to prevent the girl from being re-trafficked, a Freedom Firm social worker (all of whom are female) then works with the government officials to get the minor girl placed into a government home. Ruhamah Designs is the branch of Freedom Firm that focuses on the victim’s restoration. Depending on the State and government home, Ruhamah Designs counsels and ministers to the victims. Once leaving the government homes, the girls are susceptible to being re-trafficked or lured back into the red light district because of poverty. At Ruhamah Designs the girls learn to make jewelry or textiles. The girls are compensated for each piece they make; this provides them with a respectable source of income which they can use to support their families.

Where do these girls come from?

Geographically speaking – the girls are trafficked from all over India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Some of the girls are lured in with job offers; some are married off to men who later pimp them out; some are pimped out by their mothers; some are auctioned off to families who were unable to have a daughter of their own and seek to use the girls as a source of income; some are kidnapped and then trafficked; and others are dedicated to Hindu temples as a “devadasi” and then used as prostitutes.



Take a rickshaw ride with Natasha through the red light district of Sangli, India:

Student Staff Update: Paul Shakeshaft

This semester I contributed to a project for Freedom Firm. Freedom Firm represents and defends women and children caught in sex trafficking in India. Our project performed research for Freedom Firm to help the organization advocate to the Child Welfare Committee in India. Specifically, we researched other child welfare systems around the world. For example, we looked at the degree of involvement with social services, the appointment of guardian ad litems, special evidentiary rules, and the special training of judges for cases involving children.

My research focused on England and Wales. I researched the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act of 1999, which established special measures for vulnerable child witnesses. Combing through English and Welsh common law and statutory law, I compiled the various procedures and protections England and Wales have in place for children in cases of abuse or other vulnerable circumstances, as well as those countries' social welfare services applied to those children.

This project was rewarding in that it will help the vulnerable as well as the underserved. It was exciting because it addressed an international social and court system. In addition, it allowed me to gain a further understanding of English law; a task I value because of English common law’s importance to American law, and because of my career interest in practicing law in England. It was a great opportunity and blessing to work on this project.

Learn more about the student staff at www.regent.edu/centerstaff >